Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, the Treasury laws amendment bill. There are measures in here for small business, but there aren't enough. That's what I said initially. We basically need to reduce the red tape. We need to stop imposing on small business these laws around carbon capture et cetera, because they're not helping small business at all. They're imposing a great compliance burden, as well as an economic burden, on people because the price of gas, for example, the price of energy is going to kill them. That's what this Treasury laws amendment bill doesn't deal with. It doesn't deal with the cost of living. It doesn't deal with inflation. It doesn't deal with increased rents. There are many small businesses out in regional Queensland who can't actually get workers because either there's not enough housing or rents are too high. What did this budget do with regard to that? Nothing. It has not dealt with that at all.

I will conclude my remarks by saying that we need greater innovation in this country, and we need the Albanese government to get off the back of the people who produce goods and services in this country. Producing goods and services will increase supply, which will help drive down inflation. We can't continue to rely on the blunt instrument of the RBA, that cruel measure. I am happy to recommend this bill, and I will finish with that.